Cant-hook



(No Model.)

' G. M. AYERS.

CANT HOOK.

No. 437,080. Patented Sept. 23. 1890.

-UNITED 4 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. AYERS, OF PITTSFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

CANT-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,080, dated September 23, 1890.

Application filed April 25, 1890. Serial No. 349,494. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

- Be it known that I, GEORGE M. AYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, in the county of WVarren and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cant-Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that type of canthooks or implements which are composed of a shaft or lever havingaspike and a metallic socket or thimble carrying a swinging drophook and used by lumbermen for turning heavy timber.

The objects of myinvention are to improve the prior construction; to provide a novel socket or thimble which can be tightened -or loosened on the shaft or lever; to provide novel means whereby the drop-stop for the hook can be readily renewed or repaired; to provide novel means for supporting and securing the drop-stop in proper position; to provide a-novel socket or thimble whereby welding and brazing and the heating of the metal incident thereto are avoided, and to provide a novel clasp which serves to clamp the drop-stop in place and also to tighten the socket or thimble on the spike end of the shaft or lever. To accomplish all these objects my invention involves the features of construction, the combination or arrangement of parts, and the principles of operation hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved cant-hook. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken centrally through the stop for the drop-hook and showing the shaft or lever in elevation. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 00 as, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view taken on the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the drop-stop for the hook.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the wooden shaft or lever, and 2 the metallic socket or thimble, which is composed of a sheet of steel or other sheet metal bent into tubular form with overlapping edge portions, as at 3, to bring it into shape of a tapering tube with the upper end nearly cylindrical. The cylindrical upper end is divided or slitted longitudinally, as at 4, for about one-third,'more or less, of the length of the socket or sleeve, and the edges of the divided or slitted part are separated in such manner that the cylindrical end portion can be contracted or expanded to tightenor loosen the socket or thimble on vtheshaft or lever, as will appear more fully hereinafter. The overlapping portions3 of the tapering part are firmly united byv rivets 5, whereby I produce the tapering socket or thimble without heating and welding or brazing the same, as such impairs the strength of the instrument, and is I therefore objectionable, whereas the construction specified provides a strong, durable, and satisfactory socket or thimble for the shaft or lever carrying the usual spike 6, which is inserted into the end of the latter and there secured by any suitable means.

The edges of. the socket or thimble at the division or slit 4 are provided with outwardlyprojecting flanges 7, between which is located the drop-stop 8, composed of a metallic-block having a curved face 9 terminating at its lower portion in a flat-faced foot-piece 10, beveled off, as at 12, toward the surface of the thimble or socket. The upper end of the drop-stop 8 is provided with a cross-head 13, resting on and supported by the upper edges of the lateral flanges 7.

A clasp-ring 14 encircles the socket or thimble and is provided with lateral outwardlyprojecting wings 15, resting, respectively, against the flanges 7, and these flanges 7 and the wings 15 are provided with upper and lower coincident orifices for the passage of the transverse pivot bolt 16 and the drop-stopsecuring bolt 17, which bolts are provided with screw-nuts, as-at18 and 19. The bolt 16 passes in front of the. curved face 9 ofthe drop-stop and serves as the fulcrum for the hook 20, which,as usual, drops downward to ward the spike of the shaft or lever, and in such dropping movement strikes and is stopped by the flat-faced foot-piece 10 of the drop-stop. The other bolt 17 extends through an orifice in the foot-piece 10, and thereby detachably secures the drop-stop in a stationary position between the lateral flanges 7 of the socket or thimble. The force of the drop movement on the drop-stop is borne partly by its cross-head and partly by the lowerbolt, and therefore the stop is rendered stronger and more durable, while, if it should be broken or become unduly worn, it can be readily removed and replaced by a new one through the medium of the detachable bolts.

The nuts on the bolts can be screwed up or unscrewed to tighten or loosen the socket or thimble on the shaft or lever, so that if the latter shrinks the socket can be readily tightened, this being possible by reason of the divided or slitted cylindrical end thereof, while the clasp-ring extending around the socket or thimble not only strengthens the same, but aids in clamping it upon the shaft or lever.

In this type of instruments the constant impacts of the hook demand considerable strength in the several parts, and my invention fulfills all the conditions required, while the tightening or loosening feature of the socket or thimble, as well as the clasp-ring, is paramount.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of the divided socket or thimble having the lateral flanges, the claspring encircling the socket or thimble and having lateral wings resting against the flanges, the pivot-bolt forming a fulcrum for and carrying the hook, the drop-stop composed of a block underlying the pivot-bolt and having a foot-piece located between the flanges, and the bolt extending through the Wings, flanges, and foot-piece of the drop-stop, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the socket or thimble having a divided upper end, the claspring having lateral wings, the detachable dropstop composed of a block havingafoot-piece, the pivot-bolt extending through the wings in front of the block and carrying the swinging hook, and the bolt extending through the wings and the foot-piece of the block, said divided end of the socket or thimble being tightened or loosened by tightening or loosening the clasp-ring through the medium of the bolts, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the socket or thimble having a divided upper end and lateral flanges, the clasp-ring encircling the socket or thimble and having wings bearing against said flanges, a removable drop-stop located between the flanges, and a bolt carrying a swinging hook, said divided end of the socket or thimble and the clasp-ring being tightened or loosened by the bolt and its nut, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the socket or thimble having a divided end and lateral flanges,

with a removable drop-stop located between said flanges and having a cross-head at its upper end resting against the upper edges of the flanges and a foot-piece at its lower end resting against the socket or thimble, and a bolt carrying the hook and adapted to tighten and loosen the socket or thimble on the shaft or lever, substantially as described.

5. The combination of the socket or thim- .ble having lateral flanges, the drop-stop having a cross-head at its upper end resting against the upper edges of the flanges and a foot-piece at its lower end, a bolt passing through the flanges and foot-piece, and abolt passing through the flanges in front of the drop-stop between its cross-head and foot piece and carrying the swinging hook, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the socket or thimble having lateral flanges, the drop-stop having a curved face, a flat-faced foot-piece and a cross-head bearing against the upper edges of the flanges, and a bolt passing through the flanges in front of the curved face of the drop-stop and carrying the swinging hook, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the tapering socket or thimble having a longitudinally-divided upper end provided with lateral flanges, a clasp-ring encircling the socket or thimble and having lateral wings abutting the flanges, a drop-stop having a foot-piece and a crosshead bearing against the upper edges of the flanges, and bolts passing through the wings and flanges and one carrying the swinging hook, substantially as described.

8. The combination of the tapering sheetmetal socket or thimble having the overlapping edge portions rigidly connected by rivets and provided with lateral flanges, with a detachable drop-stop and hook between the flanges, and the two bolts passing respectively through the drop-stop and hook and engaging the flanges, substantially as described.

9. The combination of the tapering sheetmetal socket or thimble'having lateral flanges and overlapping edges rigidly united by rivets, with the clasp-ring encircling the socket or thimble and having wings abutting the lianges, the detachable drop-stop and hook between the flanges, and the two bolts passing respectively through the hook and drop-stop and engaging the wings and flanges, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have afiixcd my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE M. AYERS.

\Vitncsses:

W. W. W ILBUR, WM. Salmon. 

